MEDIA RELEASE: Leading international policy experts visit Australia

Leading international and Australian public policy experts will be available for comment on a range of issues in the lead-up to The Centre for Independent Studies’ annual conference,Consilium.

The conference will see prominent thinkers from business, politics, policy and academia meet on the Gold Coast from August 20 – 22 to discuss emerging social, political and economic policy issues.

Speakers available for comment:

Professor Dr Nouh El Harmouzi, from the Ibn Toufail University in Kenitra, Morocco and a Director of the first Democrat-Liberal Think Tank in Morocco, The Arab Center for Scientific Research and Human Studies, will look at Radical Islam’s War of the Mind: Combatting the Enduring Allure of Jihadi Brides and Cubs of the Caliphate.

Jonathan Spyer, Director of the Rubin Centre (formerly the GLORIA Center), IDC Herzliva, and a fellow at the Middle East Forum, will also address the session on Radical Islam’s War of the Mind: Combatting the Enduring Allure of Jihadi Brides and Cubs of the Caliphate. He is the author of The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict (2010) and a columnist at the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

Dr Leroy Hood, the President and co-founder of the US-based Institute for Systems Biology, will discuss the New Science of Ageing and Wellness. Dr Hood’s discoveries have permanently changed the course of biology, and revolutionised the understanding of genetics, life, and human health. The most notable of his landmark inventions, the automated DNA sequencer developed in 1986, made possible high-speed sequencing of human genomes and was the key technology enabling the Human Genome Project.

Ravinder “Ravi” Sajwan, CEO, Renew Group Private Limited, Singapore — and a serial entrepreneur with interests in Internet Media, HealthCare Cloud, Consumer Staples, Medical Devices, Medical Device Software, Water processing and Energy Infrastructure — will also address the session on the New Science of Ageing and Wellness.

Dr Christina Hoff Sommers, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Unit, who was the subject of a boycott call by UCLA feminists, will speak on Why ‘Grievance Feminism is a Threat to Serious Feminism and Humanitarian Issues. This forum will be repeated as apublic session in Sydney on August 24.

Dr Andrea den Boer, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Kent, will also address the session on Why ‘Grievance Feminism is a Threat to Serious Feminism and Humanitarian Issues’ at both the Consilium conference in Queensland and the repeat Sydney session.

Brendan O’Neill, editor of the online magazine Spiked — and described as “one of Britain’s sharpest social commentators” by the Daily Telegraph, and as a “sub-Danny Dyer obnoxious intellectual wind-up merchant” by the Guardian — will also address the session on on Why ‘Grievance Feminism is a Threat to Serious Feminism and Humanitarian Issues’ at both the Consilium conference in Queensland and the repeat Sydney session.

Dr Razeen Sally, Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, will explore The Challenges and Hindrances to Global Growth. Dr Sally’s research and teaching focuses on global trade policy and Asia in the world economy. He has written extensively on the WTO, FTAs, and on different aspects of trade policy in Asia.

Prof Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Chair of International Macroeconomics at the Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz will also address the session on The Challenges and Hindrances to Global Growth. She has formerly had positions at the University of Basel, the IMF, World Bank, Harvard University, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Federal Reserve Board of New York and the United Nations University in Tokyo.

The Right Hon the Lord Adonis (Andrew), the Shadow Infrastructure Minister in the UK House of Lords, will explore Ideology in the Classroom: How the Teaching Profession became Political Instead of Professional.

Additional speakers:

Prof Greg Barton I Herb Reith Research Professor, Study of Indonesia, Monash University

Major General (Retd) AJ (Jim) Molan AO DSC I Author, defence and security commentator, consultant, company director, retired army officer
Prof Warwick McKibbin I Chair in Public Policy, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU
Prof Henry Ergas I Adjunct Professor, Monash University Department of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Inaugural Professor of Infrastructure Economics, SMART Infrastructure Facility, University of Wollongong
Dr Janet Albrechsten I Columnist, The Australian
Greg Ashman I Head of Research, Ballarat Clarendon College I Writer, Times Educational Supplement
Dr Jennifer Buckingham I Research Fellow, Social Foundations program CIS I Author, Why Jaydon Can’t Read & School Funding on a Budget
Senator Scott Ryan I Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education & Training I Senator for Victoria
Prof Matt Trau I Director, Centre for Personalised Nanomedicine, University of Queensland I Deputy Director & Co-founder, Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology
Prof Anthony Hannan I Head of Neural Plasticity, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental health
Senator Bob Day AO I Senator for South Australia I Federal Chairman, Family First Party
Prof Jason Potts I Associate Professor, School of Economics, Marketing & Finance, RMIT I Adjunct Fellow, IPA I Author, Evolutionary Economics & Creative Industries
Paul Kelly I Editor-at-Large, The Australian I Author, Triumph & Demise: The Broken Promise of a Labor Generation
Luca Belgiorno-Nettis I Managing Director, Transfield Holdings I Head of the newDemocracy Foundation
John O’Sullivan I Editor, Quadrant I former adviser to Margaret Thatcher
Prof Suzanne Rutland I Depart of Hebrew, Biblical & Jewish Studies, University of Sydney I Author, Edge of the Diaspora: Two Centuries
Rev Peter Kurti I Research Fellow, Religion & Civil Society Program, CIS I Author of The Forgotten Freedom: Threats to Religious Liberty
John O’Neill I Chairman, Adopt Change I Managing Director, Komosion
Dr Jeremy Sammut I Research Fellow, Social Foundations Program, CIS I Author, Still Damaging & Disturbing: Australian Child Protection Data & the Need for National Adoption Targets

Notes:

Consilium is an invitation-only conference and operates under Chatham House rules.
While the conference sessions are closed to media, limited opportunities for interviews with speakers are available.
Requests for comment from Australian politicians speaking at the conference should be directed to their respective offices.